Patent GB-1350361-A (GB)
Title: Apparatus for washing containers
IPC: B08B9/08
Filed: 1972-01-08
Abstract: 1350361 Endless conveyers; container washing machines MINSKOE EXPERIMENTALNO - KONSTRUKTORSKOE BJURO MASHINOSTROENIA DLYA MYASNOI I MOLOCHNOI PROMYSHLENNOSTI 8 Jan 1972 958/72 Headings B8A B8P and B8T A container washing machine has cleaning stations 6, 7 disposed side-by-side beneath stations 8, 9 through which containers are carried on an endless conveyer for soaking with water in station 6, washing with liquid detergent in station 7, washing and rinsing in station 8, and drying / disinfecting in station 9. The cleaning stations are situated in the two upper levels of a housing which is subdivided by a longitudinal vertical wall and horizontal trays 3. The stations 6-8 have injectors 10-12 which are supplied with liquid from tanks 25-27 via pipes 28 and associated pumps 21-23 in the lowermost levels 4-5. Station 8 also has nozzles 13 to which hot fresh water is supplied and station 9 has further nozzles 13 to which steam is supplied, hot air nozzles 14 for drying purposes and an electric radiant lamp 15 for disinfecting purposes. Prior to washing, the tanks 25-27 are filled with water which, in tank 27 is heated by means 91 and has concentrated liquid detergent added from storage tank 90. Containers, bottoms upwards, pass through each of the stations in turn and any excess water and liquid detergent in stations 67 is collected by the trays 3 and returned via pipes and filters to tanks 25, 27, respectively. Similarly in station 8, the fresh water from nozzles 13 together with the rinsing water from tank 26 via nozzles 12 is returned to tank 26 via pipe 86. Hence by this arrangement the water in tank 26 is being continually renewed by the fresh water from nozzles 13 and consequently, overflows into tank 25 to renew this water which is used for initial soaking in station 6. The disinfecting means in station 9 may be augmented by steam and chemical disinfectants if highly contaminated containers are being cleaned. The conveyer system (Fig. 4) comprises a guide rail 31 along which carriages 30 are moved by a driving chain or cable 29, driven by an electric motor 20 via bevelled gearing 35, axle 34 and sprocket wheel 36. The guide rail 31 has horizontal runs 32, 33 linked by vertical runs 32a, 33a with the driving chain 29 following a parallel path via pulleys 39, 41-43. The tension in the driving chain 29 is maintained by a screw system which moves axle 81 of pulley 39 horizontally (Fig. 8, not shown). A support rail 64 runs parallel to the horizontal runs 33, 32 of the guide 31 and acts as an additional support to the container carrying component of the carriages 30. The direction of movement of the conveyer is indicated by arrow C. The carriages 30, each comprise a bracket 45 with four pulleys 46-49 journalled to it so that three single flanged pulleys 46-48 run along one edge of the guide whilst pulley 49 with a spring loaded axle (Fig. 5, not shown) runs along the opposite edge. Intermediate pulley 47 has a smaller diameter than the adjacent pulleys 46, 48 with its flange bearing against the guide rail side opposite to that on which flanges of pulleys 46 and 48 bear. The flanges of pulleys 47, 49 are tapered towards their rims to prevent jamming on the horizontal arcuate bends of the guide rail 31. The carriages 30 are connected to chain 29 by a driving arm 56 (Fig. 5, not shown) pivoted to the brackets 45 by pin 58 with the container carrier 17 hingedly mounted to the free end of pin 58 by arm 59 bearing a horizontal fork 60 with vertical container wall supports 61 (Fig. 4) and support rollers 62. A guide roller 63 is mounted on arm 59 to maintain the forks in a horizontal plane when the carriage is moving vertically on guide rail sections 32a, 33a. Vertical plates 65, attached to wall 2, allow rotation of the carriages 30 and maintenance of the forks 60 in a horizontal plane at the points of transition from the horizontal portions 32, 33 of the guide rail into the vertical portions 32a, 33a. The upper edge 67 of each plate 65 has a horizontal angle iron 68 which guides support rollers 62 whilst the carriage is rotating on the arcuate bend of the guide rail 31. The plates 65 are cut by vertical slots 69 which are extended at their lower ends by two horizontal slots-70 to allow passage of pin 58, and 71 for guide roller 63. The slots 69, 70, 71 are guides for roller 63 and pin 58 of each carriage when it is moving in the region of the vertical runs of guide rail 31. During movement around the wall 2 from stages 6 to 7, and 8 to 9, additional support is given to the forks by the rollers 62 bearing on the collar rim 38 of a drum 37 and so reduces the loading on rail 64. In the region of transition from stage 9 to stage 6, the cleansed containers are removed by telescopic rods 75, which pass between the fork elements of the container support. The rods are displaceably mounted on the shaft 73, journalled in brackets 74, so as to cater for a range of container sizes. The shaft is positioned manually and is maintained in the desired position by collars 76 braced by screws 77 and prevented from further movement by spring 78 and lever 79. A limiting switch 80 is mounted adjacent lever 79 so as to cut-out motor 20 if the lever deviates from its normal position.